Download Unit 8 South Asia

Unit 8 South Asia
Physical Features
• This region is made up of 7 nations
• South Asia is a subcontinent called the
Indian Subcontinent
• This subcontinent is split from the rest of
Asia by the Himalayan Mts. to the North
Mountains
• The mountains of this region include the
Himalayas, which is the highest mountain
chain in the world
• The Himalayas include Mt. Everest which
is the worlds highest mountain peak
• Other mountain chains that border the
Indian Subcontinent include the Hindu
Kush, the Karakoram, the Vindhya, and
the Ghats (E & W)
Plateaus
• The Deccan Plateau is the one major
plateau area in this region
• This area in India lies between the E. and
W. Ghats; this makes the area very dry
because the mt. chains prevent moisture
from crossing over to the plateau
Rivers and Plains
• There is one major plains area in this
region; The Indo-Gangetic Plain
• It lies north of the Deccan Plateau
• This plains area is formed by 3 rivers
(Indus, Ganges, and the Brahmaputra)
• This plains area is an alluvial plain which
contains very rich soil for farming
• This plains area contains 3/5 of the Indian
population and is home to the largest cities
in the region
Islands
• There are 2 island nations located in this
region
• These are Sri Lanka and the Maldives (an
archipelago consisting of atoll islands)
• Atoll – an island
which deteriorates
and forms a coral reef
around the former
island
Resources
• The rich fertile soil of the Indo-Gangetic
Plain
• Water for fishing and transportation
• Timber (which is causing deforestation)
• Coal, petroleum, natural gas, uranium,
mica, and gem stones
Population Information
• There are over 1 billion people in South Asia; 75% of
these people live in India (1,129,866, 154)
• The population density is around 756 people per square
mile
• The climate and vegetation within the region determines
where people live
• The bulk of the population is located around the IndoGangetic Plain
• Most of the population has moved toward the cities for
better jobs and wages (Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, New
Delhi, and Dhaka are the largest cities)
Religion
• Islam is the primary religion in Pakistan and
Bangladesh
• Two polytheistic religions were created in this
region
• 1) Hinduism – based on the belief that everyone
must live according to their moral duty (dharma)
and are rewarded by the laws of karma
• Hindus believe that you are reincarnated until
you overcome your earthly weaknesses
• 2) Buddhism – based on the belief that
people suffer because of their attachment
to material goods
• Buddhism is based on the 4 basic truths
• Buddhism shares reincarnation with
Hinduism
Economic Characteristics
• The economies of South Asia vary depending on the
region
• Most people are farmers
• In India 2/3 of its people farm, and most of those people
are subsistence farmers
• These farmers have low crop yields which limits the food
they have and the money they made
• The farming in Pakistan revolves around cotton and rice
• In Bangladesh rice and jute are primary crops
• In Sri Lanka plantation farming is important to their
economy (tea & rubber)
• In the 1960’s India began the Green
Revolution; this program was to develop
better farming techniques, the use of
better equipment, and the use of fertilizers
to create high crop yields
• Industry in this region is developing
• The textile industry does well because of
the growth of cotton in these nations
• The governments of some of these nations
are giving loans to promote the growth of
business
• The nations of Nepal and Bhutan have
begun to harvest and sell timber
• This has led to some deforestation
• Sri Lanka has a good gemstone industry
• Fishing and water based industries are
vital to this region as well
• In the Maldives fishing is the primary
industry
• Tourism is also on the rise in this region
but this has led to some pollution in areas
(Nepal and Mt. Everest)
Cultural Characteristics
• In 1757 the British took over trade in India, by 1857 they
made India a British colony
• In the 1940’s Mohandas Gandhi began to lead a
nonviolent resistance movement against the British to
free India
• Once India gained independence the Muslim population
established the nation of Pakistan (east and west)
• This division of India and Pakistan, known as the
Partition, led to mass Muslim migrations from India to
Pakistan
• In 1971 the nations of E and W Pakistan split to form
Pakistan and Bangladesh
• In the western part of India and the eastern part
of Pakistan is the disputed area of Kashmir
• Most of the people in Kashmir are Muslim, but
the leadership in Kashmir wanted union in India
• Kashmir is a disputed area because both India
and Pakistan claim the land is theirs
• In India most marriages are arranged, and
marriage and family are important to Indian life
• There are 18 major languages in India with Hindi
being the official language
• 80% of the people in India practice Hinduism
• The caste system has been an important part of Indian
culture for a long time
• In the caste system you were believed to have been
born into a particular class, or caste
• You were not able to advance out of that caste until you
died and were reincarnated, if your life was a prosperous
one you would advance to another caste
• This area of Asia has large areas of dense population
• Overpopulation is a problem in S. Asia
• The high population leads to poverty, the spread of
disease, and poor sanitation
• The high population also strains the communication and
transportation services of these nations
• The governments of these nations have tried to fix the
problems of overpopulation by improving their
infrastructures (roads, sanitation, schools), educate their
people, and encourage smaller families
• The nations of Nepal and Bhutan have
been able to preserve their nations by
limiting access to them
• These 2 nations are also isolated from the
rest of S. Asia which kept them from being
colonized
Things and Places of Interest
Taj Mahal, India
Hindu Temple
Ganges River
Ganges Delta
Mt. Everest